


Comfort after the horror

by imera



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dark, Graphic Description, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-26 16:21:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17145077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imera/pseuds/imera
Summary: It was torture being witness to Fenrir's torture of Remus, and while they might not be friends Severus couldn't leave him in the hands of the beast.





	Comfort after the horror

**Author's Note:**

> It's a dark fic, so please be sure you've read the warnings, but it's still got a happy-ish ending.

Severus never liked surprises. The few surprises he received during his childhood were horrible, especially those from his abusive father. His mother, even though she loved him, never gave him anything, mostly because she was afraid of what his father would say. When he befriended Lily, who was his first friend, she occasionally gave him nice surprises, but they were fewer the older they got. Eventually he made a grave mistake and she refused to forgive him. He knew he’d messed things up, especially as up to that point she had still refused to date James. However, several things lead to her running into his arms, and so her newest surprise was that she was pregnant.

Having learned not to expect surprises to be any good he couldn’t help cringe as one of his fellow Death Eaters said the Dark Lord had a surprise for them all that day.

Pulling out his mask he covered his face as he entered the large room where the meeting was being held. All the wizards and witches were standing in a circle around the centre. Some were whispering to the one standing next to them while others seemed to be too interested in whatever was in the centre. Severus had a bad feeling about whatever would happen that night, but he feared that if he left and anyone recognised him he would be in trouble.

Knowing there was less people on the other side he walked past the crowd. Occasionally he heard someone mention a prisoner and wondered which unfortunate soul was so unlucky they had been captured. Severus had witnessed one other prisoner being tortured, and while that other person was allowed to live everybody knew the Dark Lord had ruined him forever.

Seeing a spot where he could stand amongst the crowd of people moved towards it. Another Death Eater was standing in front of him, but he was short so Severus could easily see the centre of the crowd, and what he saw shocked him.

Standing in the middle, with his hands cuffed to a chain which was fastened to the ceiling, was a person he knew relatively well. While Severus didn’t like the young man he still felt bad for him as he wasn’t nearly as awful as James Potter or Sirius Black. By the end of the night Remus Lupin would be wishing he’d never been born.

His face was mostly clean, except for the blood which gushed out from a cut close to his left eye. His eyes were closed, his head lowered as if he was sleeping, but Severus could see he was still awake because he was standing on his own.

A door opened and suddenly the whole room went silent. Severus didn’t need to whoever entered the room to know who it was.

“Welcome to this special night. I’m sure you all wish to know who our guest is.” Some nodded, others whispered amongst themselves, and some asked the Dark Lord, as if he wouldn’t tell them who it was after he just offered.

The circle parted as the Dark Lord walked towards the prisoner. Severus’ eyes moved towards the man who was responsible for all of them being gathered there. Remus opened his eyes and as soon as he saw the Dark Lord he tried to move further away, not that it did him any good as the magical chains kept him there. Someone chuckled at his attempt to escape, and Severus felt a stab of guilt as he was standing on the Dark Lord’s side while Remus would suffer. The Gryffindor wasn’t innocent, but neither did he deserve whatever the Dark Lord would do to him. If it had been Sirius or James he wouldn’t have cared, but Remus was good compared to them, even though he hadn’t really done anything to stop them from bullying Severus.

“This is the son of Lyall Lupin, a man who knows a lot about non-humans, like werewolves. A long time ago that man was quite rude towards our own Fenrir Greyback, saying all werewolves deserved was death. After escaping Greyback managed to get his revenge by turning Lyall’s son into what his father hated the most.” Most Death Eaters laughed at the story, a story Severus hadn’t known. Suddenly he felt more sorry for Remus who was paying for his father’s mistakes, something Severus was all too familiar with.

Suddenly Remus started fighting the cuffs even harder. Severus thought it was because he saw Voldemort, but when he looked at the Dark Lord he noticed that someone had joined the Dark Lord’s side. Severus felt sick at the sight of Fenrir Greyback, especially as he was looking at Remus with that sick twisted look of his.

“Hello Remus, do you remember me?” he said in a twisted pleased tone. The person standing next to Severus shifted on his feet before taking a small step back. Severus stood still, his hands rolled into fists as he tried to stay calm, knowing that if he did anything to displease Voldemort he would be next in line for a punishment.

“Because Greyback has been such a good soldier lately I’ve decided to give him a treat. I didn’t plan for it to be this young man, but as soon as I knew who he was, and what his father had done, I thought I had found the perfect playtoy for Greyback.”

Severus hadn’t been around Greyback much, but he’d heard the stores other Death Eaters told about the beast and he knew how he enjoys to play with his food, how he loves young blood, how he is more twisted than the Dark Lord himself. Severus wanted to look away, or close his eyes, but he was too afraid to do anything, afraid that the Dark Lord would know of his betrayal and decide to punish him later on.

“No,” Remus said, his voice shaking as the chains clanked above him.

The Dark Lord ignored him and walked over to his chair, sitting down and watched the scene in front of him. Severus wondered how many of the Death Eaters would want to close their eyes behind their masks to what would happen next, he wondered how many would be unable to eat that night. Not all joined because they wanted to kill or enslave those considered beneath them, some simply wanted them kicked out from the wizarding society.

As soon as the Dark Lord gave the nod Fenrir walked towards Remus, who fought harder as he didn’t want to be near his maker. It was unavoidable, but still a part of Severus wished on a miracle.

“Have you missed me?” Greyback’s tone mocked Remus who kept fighting. He then terrorized Remus by slowly licking the blood on his face, smiling afterwards. Remus stared at the masked people around him, who barely moved as they watched the scene in front of them, or maybe they were pretending to be somewhere else as Severus wished he was.

Remus tried to say something but was silenced as Greyback placed his large hand over his mouth. He continued to fight, to try and pull away from the grip but Fenrir was larger and stronger, and nothing he did helped. It looked like he was giving up as he stopped twisting around, but Severus knew he was simply saving his energy.

“What should I do to you, any suggestions?” Greyback asked the crowd.

“Hit him!” someone called. Severus swallowed as he felt sorry for Remus, but he couldn’t do anything as he was surrounded by twisted wizards and witches.

Greyback smiled before he released Remus’ mouth, only to brutally slap him the next second. Remus’ head snapped to the side. Fenrir then grabbed Remus’ jaw and forced him to make eye contact again. “I’ll make you regret being your father’s son,” Greyback said in a dark voice. Severus’ eyes were focused on Remus, wondering how he would last through the day.

There was another slap on the other cheek, causing Remus to moan in agony. Grabbing a fistfull of hair Greyback forced Remus’ head backwards. His other hand moved to Remus’ throat, squeezing until Remus gasped for air. Severus swallowed hard, his body on fire, but no matter how much he wanted to save the man he knew he was too weak to stand up in front of everyone.

Remus was allowed to breathe moments before he passed out. Greyback was smiling, just before he slapped Remus a third time. “You don’t deserve to breathe the same air we do, you filthy half-blood.” Some of the Death Eaters agreed, but most stayed quiet.

Greyback didn’t stop slapping Remus’ face until his cheeks were red, until his lip split and more blood ran down his face, until his head hang low and he no longer made a sound as he was injured. It looked like he was done hitting Remus, but he was only done with Remus’ face. The next thing he did was to start punching Remus’ body, laughing every time Remus tried to move away from his fists or groan in pain, not that it did him any good.

When Remus struggled to stand on his feet Greyback stopped.

“Aren’t you a pretty boy, huh?” the brutal man asked as he grabbed Remus’ jaw, his sharp nails breaking through Remus’ skin. Severus closed his eyes for a second as he tried to block his emotions, not wanting to make a mistake by drawing attention to himself.

“What shall I do with this pathetic pup now, any suggestions?”

There were multiple suggestions, but the one Greyback chose had to be one of the worst, maybe not the most brutal, but it was painful enough, and humiliating.

“Did you hear that, Remus, they want me to enjoy that sweet ass of yours.” A chill passed through Severus as he watched the horror that crossed Remus’ face. A Death Eater close to Severus leaned over to his friend and said that the night was turning out far better than he thought it would. 

Greyback let go of Remus’ face and moved behind him, where he grabbed Remus’ hips. Laughter spread through the room as Greyback pretended to fuck him, Severus could easily see the defeat on Remus’ face as he begged Greyback not to do it.

“Please, no, just kill me” Remus whispered, his eyes looking at the masked Death Eaters, begging someone to end it.

“I love it when they beg, as if it will make a difference.” Roughly he undressed Remus, his body pulled in all directions as the fabric was ripped off his body.

Unfortunately Severus had chosen to stand where he could see most of Remus’ face, and for the first time in his life he would rather watch Greyback’s ugly ass.

“Because I’m such a good man I’m going to give you a choice. Either I go in dry, or I use whatever spit you can produce as lube. How does that sound?”

Severus looked at to where the Dark Lord was sitting. He couldn’t be certain if the man was amused or bored, but he watched Fenrir and Remus closely.

“Lower him so we can see what he decides to do.” Someone did as Fenrir ordered and Remus fell down on his knees. “So, do you want lube?” Fenrir asked as he placed his cock next to Remus’ face. “Now remember, if you bite I’ll cut you open from the inside.

Remus looked defeated, barely reacting. For a brief moment Severus thought he was either too hurt to notice, or that he refused to humiliate himself further in front of the Death Eaters, but then opened his eyes and mouth.

“Good boy,” Greyback teased as he pushed his cock into Remus’ mouth, forcing it deeper and deeper until Remus started gagging. Fenrir laughed as Remus seemed to almost throw up from the cock that was pushed down his throat. “Get him up again,” Fenrir ordered and moved behind Remus.

Severus knew the exact moment Greyback entered Remus. He might be using saliva as lube but it had no effect as he didn’t prepare Remus at all. Remus’ eyes popped open, his mouth gasping for air as he seemed to struggle to breathe before he was able to find his voice and use the remaining energy he had to scream as loudly as he could. His whole body trembled while Greyback fucked him. Tears ran down Remus’ face as he tried to escape the claws which had dug themselves in his hops, but nothing would work against his torturer.

A swift look around the room he could see that some were looking away from the scene in the centre of the room, proof that he wasn’t the only one who didn’t agree to the torture.

Greyback continued to hold Remus, which he had to do because the intensity of his thrusts were so brutal Remus wouldn’t be able to stand on his feet had it not been for the chains holding him. Remust looked like a doll as he was being raped, unable to even hold his head from bobbing in every direction possible.

Remus’ cries faded away as he seemed to lose consciousness, Greyback didn’t seem to care what happened to him as he continued until he had an orgasm. Growling like a wild animal he came, and some of the Death Eaters cheered at the ending. Severus had watched the surreal scene in front of him, wondering how many others had suffered as Remus had during the war.

He was glad they were all wearing masks as he realised his face was wet. He hadn’t felt the tears while he’d watched Fenrir torture and humiliate Remus, but now that it was over his attention was brought back to himself.

Remus’ body was limp and would have fallen to the floor had it not been for the chains. Greyback dressed himself and then turned towards the Dark Lord. “Are you pleased, my Lord?”

The Dark Lord smiled and told someone to put Remus in the dungeon as they had an important meeting to hold.

Severus tried to avoid looking at Remus’ naked and broken body as he was dragged out of the room. There was dirt and blood all over his body.

Through the whole meeting all that Severus could think about was Remus. Luckily he wasn’t that important to that particular meeting so he stayed in the background, which gave him the opportunity to plot how to help Remus.

It turned out that it wasn’t difficult breaking him out. The guard was a drunk, which made it really easy for Severus to manipulate him into thinking he hadn’t locked the door before he he’d passed out.

Remus was slightly awake when Severus entered his cell. Because Severus was still wearing his mask Remus panicked and tried, but failed, to protect himself. Removing his mask Severus watched Remus’ expression change from fear to shame and anger. He wasn’t certain if Remus knew he was a Death Eater, but he didn’t seem surprised by seeing Severus.

“I’ve come to help you,”

“I’m guessing you were there when he raped me, why help me now after the damage is done?”

Severus hated how Remus made him feel guilty about not having stopped Greyback. “If you don’t want my help then say so, I’m not going to defend my reasons to you.”

Remus didn’t look at Severus at first, probably finding it difficult to accept that Severus was a witness to the rape.

“You need to decide quick, we don’t have much time before someone might come to check on you.” Remus’ eyes were filled with horror as he finally stared at Severus before he nodded. Severus moved swiftly. “Can you walk?” he asked once Remus was standing.

“It hurts really bad, but I can try.” Severus was glad he was at least willing to try, which meant he hadn’t given up. Having stolen the robe to the Death Eater who had fallen asleep he covered Remus’ broken body, making sure there was no way anyone could see that he was naked underneath the robe.

Escaping the dungeon wasn’t difficult, that hard part was getting Remus past the Death Eaters blocking the exit. The only thing which could catch the attention of the other Death Eaters was if Remus couldn’t walk, and if the short walk to the stairs was any indication of how the rest of the trip would be then they had a problem.

They were lucky that most of the Death Eaters, even the ones at the door, were gathered in small groups discussing either the meeting or Remus.

“We’re going to walk slowly and talk low, as if we’re in a private discussion,” Severus informed Remus, hoping he wouldn’t argue. To avoid any pauses in the conversation Severus decided to talk about potions, as it was the theme he knew the best, and all Remus had to do was walk slowly.

“I don’t think anyone are outside, but let’s hurry just ot be on the safe side,” Severus whispered as soon as they were outside the building. They were lucky as nobody noticed them. “Hold on,” he told Remus as soon as they had reached the area where they d\could disapparate.Remus grabbed Severus’ hand without hesitation, his grip hard as if he was afraid to fall.

Deciding where to hide if they made it out alive wasn’t easy seeing as there weren’t many places Severus could go. He decided, even though he didn’t think it was a good idea, to bring Remus to his home. He didn’t really want Remus there but Severus had nobody he trusted.

The house didn’t look good, but at least it wasn’t messy. As soon as Remus was inside Severus locked the door and put up several security and warning charmes. Turning around he saw that Remus had found the sofa and seemed to be falling asleep. Deciding to let him sleep so his body could attempt to heal itself Severus headed down to the basement where he had a cabinet filled with potions, hoping he had enough healing potions to help Remus back on his feet.

Studying potions required him to know some healing, so based on the limited knowledge he had, and of what he knew happened that night, he picked out some bottles should help the best, he only hoped combining them wouldn’t case a bad reaction.

Remus was still sleeping when Severus returned. He might not be hungry after what he’d witnessed but he knew both their bodies needed food, so he went into the kitchen to prepare anything he had.

About an hour later Remus woke up.

“You better eat this before taking the potions, less chance of throwing up or having a bad reaction.” Severus wouldn’t minded feeding Remus if he’d been in a bad shape, but he managed to eat by himself.

Remus was suspicious of the food, maybe he thought Severus was another part of Voldemort’s torture.

“I haven’t poisoned the food, if that’s what you think.” Remus was still uncertain, but he eagerly ate the food, not being able to stop himself once he began. When the food was gone he swallowed the potions, asking what each of them were.

“This one is for any small internal bleeding, this one is for the body to heal itself quicker, it’s aimed for more than one part, this is for any head trauma, and this is a potion you can take after you’re in a bed upstairs.” The horror on his face was clear as he hadn’t expected Severus to mention anything about a bed. “It’s a sleeping potion, your body needs rest, and I’m not going to carry you up there after you’ve fallen asleep.”

“How do I know you won’t…” he seemed scared, and ashamed. “How can I be certain you haven’t tricked me?”

“Why would I waste my potions on healing you? I’m certain the Dark Lord would have made one of his more loyal Death Eaters heal you, he certainly wouldn’t have bothered making you believe you were safe.”

“It’s the perfect plan,” Remus whispered.

“It is, and while he might have done something like this for someone else you’re not important enough for him to bother with. Also, if I had planned to do anything to you while you were sleeping I wouldn’t have told you what the last potion was.” Remus seemed slightly calmer. “If you wish you can leave at once, I don’t have a floo network right now, but I’m sure I can call a cab. Whatever you decide to do then know that once you’re outside this house you’re alone. So either you take the potions and sleep until your body has healed, or you leave. What will it be?”

Remus didn’t look convinced but he nodded. “I’ll go up.”

“The sheets were clean when I cleaned the room, but it’s a year ago so the room might be dusty, I can use a spell to clean it if you wish.”

“No, it’s fine,” Remus said as he grabbed the last potion bottle and followed Severus up to the guest room, which used to be his parent’s room.

His father died during his last year at Hogwarts, and while he had once said he would move far away once he graduated, he found himself moving into the empty house which was filled with depressing memories. He’d removed most things which belonged to his father, making sure there was little to remind him of the awful man, he then turned his parent’s bedroom into a guest room, even though he would never have any guests.

“The potion should last approximately twelve hours, if you wake up and I’m not here then don’t leave, unless you want to be on your own. I don’t have a lot in the kitchen, but I expect you can find something to eat if you are hungry.” Having never had any proper guests Severus wasn’t sure what else to say, and so decided to leave before Remus had a chance to ask anything.

He knew that once the Dark Lord discovered Remus was gone he could call all the followers who were presence at the meeting, and if that happened there was a chance he would keep them all there until he discovered the truth, or he got bored, in which case there was a chance he would torture them all.

Feeling the urge to create he went down into the basement where he pulled out the _Heller’s guide to potions_ , hoping to find something that could help Remus. There was one potion that could heal mental scars so he decided to start one it.

After spending a great deal of time preparing the potion he needed to wait a few hours before it was complete, so he returned to the living room.

It was past midnight, not that time bothered him. When he opened the basement door he heard some strange sounds. At first he was worried someone had broken into his house, but if anyone came near the entrance he would know. Listening he discovered the sounds came from the second floor, which meant Remus had to be the one making them. Alarmed by the screams Severus went up, not certain if he should enter the guest room or not as Remus barely trusted him. It was a scream filled with fear that made the decision for him.

What he saw when he entered sent a chill down his body, just like the fear filled scream had. Remus was curled into a ball in the corner of the room, protecting his head as he trying to escape whatever was scaring him. The potion should block dreams, but instead it seemed as if Remus was living a nightmare. Knowing he needed to wake him up he carefully approached Remus, not certain how he would react as Severus touched him. Maybe he was convinced Severus was the monster from his dream and would so attack him.

Having learned from his experience with people trying to harm him he’d learned a few tricks and was able to avoid the worst blows. Eventually, after several attempts, Remus was bound by magic. He was still fighting and screaming but Severus couldn’t stop.

Not certain which was the best way to wake him Severus decided to try one of the more extreme ways, a cold shower.

Remus continued to scream as he was floating towards the bathroom. Severus was glad he had magic to help him, getting him to the bathroom without magic would be hard.

Not sure if the spell would wear off once Remus woke up Severus went into the shower with him before turning it on. The cold water hit them both and Remus woke up almost instantly. His nightmare screams transformed into shocked screams.

“What are you doing!” he yelled.

Certain he was awake Severus turned off the water, released the charm and reached for towels. Remus was still shocked, and soon he began to tremble. Severus first believed it was because he was cold, but then he noticed the c. Severus wasn’t sure how to behave around Remus, if he should tell him to shake it off or ask what was wrong. He wasn’t certain if he should leave him alone or if he should give Remus a shoulder to cry on.

“Were you dreaming of what happened tonight?” Remus didn’t answer, he didn’t have to as the horror which crossed his face was answer enough. Even though he promised himself he shouldn’t feel guilty about what happened, he couldn’t help it. “I’m so sorry, if I wasn’t weak maybe I could have stopped it before he did those things.”

Remus cried harder, and without a warning he attacked Severus, but not in a bad way. The hug was unexpected, and unusual for someone like Severus. The last time he had been hugged was by Lily, and that was a few years earlier.

He didn’t know Remus that well, and he was a part of the group who made his school years a living hell, but Severus wouldn’t push him away when he was needed so he wrapped his arms around Remus, who tightened his grip further.

“I’m sorry,” Remus said, his voice muffled because his face was pressed against Severus’ shoulder.

“It’s not your fault.”

“No, I’m sorry that I wasn’t stronger back at school and stopped James and Sirius.” The apology touched a part of Severus which he had kept hidden, the hopeful child who only wished to make friends.

Luckily the alarm for the potion went off. Remus released him, looking confused by the sound. “It’s just the potion I’m making, why don’t you take off the wet clothes and get into bed, I will come back with something that should keep the nightmares away.” Severus didn’t give him a chance to say anything else before he left, hoping that whatever feelings Remus awakened inside him would vanish as he couldn't afford weakness, not during a war.

The potion was almost done, it just needed a few more ingredients before it was ready. Once it was bottled Severus opened the cabinet and looked for the potion which would stop Remus from dreaming while sleeping, even though the sleeping potion should also have that effect.

Remus lay in the bed beneath the duvet, looking like a frightened young boy, somehow reminding Severs of himself when his father entered his room.

“This should keep away any bad dreams,” Severus said and handed Remus the vial.

Remus accepted it, then, after staring at it for a few seconds he looked at Severus. “I don’t want to be alone tonight, could you maybe stay here until I fall asleep?” Severus wanted to say no, but seeing Remus he didn’t have the heart to turn him down, especially not after what happened that night.

“Let me find a chair.”

“You can lie next to me, if you don’t mind it.” Severus wondered if it was wize to be so close to Remus, but not wanting him to feel completely alone he accepted the request.

Remus swallowed the potion as soon as Severus lay down next to him, but on top of the duvet as he didn’t plan to sleep there. At first it was awkward. Severus didn’t know what to say, and Remus was still awake. The sleeping potion was still in his system but he didn’t seem to be tired.

“You’ll sleep faster if you close your eyes,” Severus suggested. Remus was nervous, and afraid, and when there was a sound coming from outside he flinched.

After a few more seconds of nervousness Remus finally asked if they could cuddle. “I know we’re not friends, but you’re the first kind person I’ve met the last three days.”

Severus hadn’t known how long Remus was a prisoner before Greyback raped him in front of everyone, and he hadn’t thought of asking, but suddenly he understood why Remus was jumpy.

“No, we’re not friends, but I’m honored you trust me this much. If you think it will help then I don’t see why I can’t keep you company.” Severus believed he saw a smile, but he couldn’t be certain as Remus rested his head on Severus’ chest and wrapped one arm around his waist.

It was hard feeling any hatred towards Remus, even before that night, he hadn’t been the one who hurt Severus, he simply didn’t stop it. A calm and protective feeling began to build itself inside him. It wasn’t a completely unfamiliar feeling, but every time he had that feeling it was towards people who didn’t want or need his protection.

His plan was to stay until Remus had fallen asleep and then leave, but he must have been far more tired than he first anticipated because he couldn’t remember falling asleep himself. He didn’t mind being there with Remus, they might not be friends, but it was still nice to cuddle.

When he woke up they would have to decide what to do next, but until then they could enjoy the comfort of each other, the one thing Severus hasn’t felt in a long time, human contact.


End file.
